Quote:
Originally Posted by rmay635703
In Europe it is common for electrical power plants to provide clean distilled hot water to surrounding homes up to 100 miles away,
No doubt the us could do something similar with nuclear sources unless R60 rated insulating micro films become viable
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In the US it makes more sense to put the reactors far away from populated areas. There wouldn't be enough homes in a radius around the power plant to justify the hot water. Plus water doesn't have to be "used" at a power plant meaning there is no waste. It all just gets continously recycled back through the steam generators. You don't want to remove much of the heat, just enough to condense the steam back into water so it can be pumped again back into the steam generators. The hotter it stays the easier it is to make steam again.